


Bloom

by Galrafloofandlove



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Acxa & Keith (Voltron) are Siblings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Relationships, Character Death, F/F, Femslash, First Kiss, Happy Ending, Poisoning, Post season 7 with a few changes, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 03:38:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17841731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galrafloofandlove/pseuds/Galrafloofandlove
Summary: When the team is captured by Zerthid and Ezor, a deadly poison is injected into Pidge's bloodstream.Acxa is one of the only ones who knows how to combat the venom.It's a ticking time bomb of when the poison will kill Pidge.~~~~~~Or, a kind of season 7 compliant AU of the story of how Pidge and Acxa fell in love, containing background Keith/Shiro, Krolia/Kolivan, and past Narti/Acxa.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the lady love bang!  
> [My artist's work!](https://twitter.com/Movite_H/status/1097595539854712834)

“You.” Zethrid pointed a furry, clawed finger directly in Pidge's direction, sending a jolt of shock through her spine as she tried to keep a straight face through the sudden panic racking the possibilities up in her mind. 

“I bet my entire fleet this group of heroes has a soft spot for the small one.” The condescending tone her voice took as she spoke the next line, and Ezor’s heavy footsteps approaching only triggered her panic further. 

“Don't you touch her!” Lance screamed , causing Zethrid to quickly throw him against the metal wall of the shared cell, making a loud banging sound as his head hit. 

‘That definitely caused a concussion’, Pidge thought to herself. She saw worried and alarmed glances from Keith, Shiro, and Romelle and was reminded of the desperate situation at hand. Just as she realized such, a thick, sharp claw dug into her freckled skin and lifted her up roughly by the chin. 

Her eyes widened in fear, her unkempt light brown bangs brushing against her forehead as she was lifted up by nothing but a small red digit that shook in tune with Pidge's pounding heartbeat.   
The hazel irises of her eyes were almost invisible as her pupils expanded. Despite being in the middle of an intergalactic alien war and piloting part of the universe’s greatest weapon, this was the most scared she had ever been. At least when they were inside the lions, they had the walls upon walls of metal protecting them as well as the lion’s conscious looking out for their respected paladins at all times during battle. They weren't usually face to face with the enemy, or at their mercy. 

“Ezor, what would you like to do to the prisoner?” Zethrid said, bloodlust shining even in the light yellow sclera of her eye. 

Ezor licked her lips, sticking out four sharp white fangs that looked as if they could pierce through human skin like it was plastic to a knife.“Well, which one of these heroes tried to save her?” she said, looking around at the filled cell. Her eyes landed on Lance. “It was the blue one, correct?” She waited for a direct response from Lance, who kept his lips sealed with a angry expression painted over his face. 

“Blue paladin! It was you, wasn't it?” Zethrid repeated Ezor’s question, flashing her a knowing glance. They both knew it had been Lance, they just wanted to hear it straight from his mouth for a reason Pidge couldn't figure out . 

Lance still refused to answer, just staring intently at the two Galrans. Ezor shrugged it off, sharp fingernail still deep in the skin of Pidge’s chin, drawing blood that was dripping onto the black undersuit of the paladin armor and the front of her neck, the dark red liquid covering the small freckles dotting her pale skin.   
Ezor clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, making a “tsk” sound. “Well, I was going to go easy on greenie here, but it seems the blue one doesn't want that to happen.” Ezor dipped her fangs into the back of her mouth, while realization shone on Zethrid’s expression from her place right behind the red skinned Galra hybrid.   
Ezor started to give Pidge a wide grin, but her fangs that used to be as white as the snow back on Earth, they were now dripping in thick droplets with orangish-yellow liquid with a metallic shine. 

“Has anybody here heard of the poison Vrianum Nilia?” Ezor asked, swallowing down the liquid that had dripped inside her mouth and tongue as more coated her teeth. 

Nobody in the crowd of humans or alteans seemed to have heard of it before. However, Krolia’s cat-like irises nearly disappeared, being replaced with the yellow of her sclera. Keith’s eyes also widened, and even through his expression was always difficult to read, clear fear was written across his and Krolia’s faces, which made Shiro’s face also twist up in a state of worry. Whatever the venom was, it was bad news. Extremely bad news. 

Ezor shrugged. “I figured as such. It’s not a well known type of venom. Only galras really know of it.” Her gaze flipped from Pidge to Krolia. Krolia grinded her teeth. 

“...Keith?” Shiro asked with a worried glance as Keith’s breathing grew heavy. 

Suddenly, all four of Ezor’s razor sharp fangs dug straight into Pidge’s left cheek, cutting through freckles and pasty skin, letting the metallic liquid sink into the open cut that started to leak deep red blood. 

Krolia’s loud gasp rang through the small cell, and Keith’s breathe grew pained as Shiro tried his best to calm him down. The rest of the team gave shocked expressions, not as scared as the others but still worried. The puncture was going to leave a nasty scar, and blood seeped down Pidge’s cheek, falling to the floor along with some of the fluid from Ezor’s fangs. 

Pidge let out a extremely pained cry, choking as she opened her mouth. Ezor smiled and retracted the claw holding her up, causing Pidge to fall onto the floor with a thump and curl up into a pile before passing out on the cold metal floor. 

“...Quiznack.” Krolia swore under her breath. She shared a worried glance with Keith while Allura gave a questioning glance aimed at Shiro, who responded with a pained shrug. 

Zethrid snickered at the scene. “Ezor, did you really mean to kill the green one?” 

Lance started choking on air. Allura, Romelle and Hunk’s eyes widened larger than they ever had before. 

A sinister grin spread across Ezor’s face as she spoke. “Well, what's done is don- AH!”   
Ezor’s sentence was cut off by a large panel of the roof caving in, and black boots made of a material looking similar to leather kicked the hybrid Galra square in the face, causing her to fall on the floor, lying unconscious next to Pidge. 

It was a female figure, with dark bluish-violet hair flying around wildly. The hair was cut a little longer than the average bob hairstyle, and her skin was a pastel purple, showing she was at least some percent Galra as well. 

Zethrid called for guard to help her with backup to defeat the sudden intruder, but the mysterious girl made quick work of both Zerthrid and the guards that had appeared after the call for help with her fists, throwing punch after punch without a single throw missing its target. The two hybrid Galras were knocked out and sprawled out on the floor of the cell, while a pile of armor from the guards slumped down just before the cell entrance. 

As the girl looked over to the group still in handcuffs, her expression softened. The softness only lasted for merely a tick before urgency replaced it as she ran over to the youngest paladin. 

“...Acxa?” Keith asked, his voice cracking slightly. Acxa. That's who she was. One of Lotor’s ex- generals. 

“What did Ezor do to the green paladin?!” she questioned, although the way Acxa was acting signalled that she was fully aware and more informed than most of the paladins on the situation at hand. Acxa gently brushed her fingers over the blood and metallic liquid leaking out from puncture marks in Pidge’s delicate skin, and smearing such all over her left cheek but away from the open wounds.

“She’s been infected, I’m afraid,” Krolia responded, her tone calm and collected. At times like this the team questioned how the woman so tranquil at times like these. However, her fighting style and natural instinct to protect was the part of herself she transferred through her genes and onto Keith. 

Acxa started to peel the armor off of Pidge so that the only thing protecting her was the tight black undersuit. Acxa’s face twisted in disgust. “Galra, come closer,” Acxa commanded, taking a hand from where she had been previously rubbing soft circles onto Pidge’s back. 

Keith hesitantly stepped forward, before Shiro held him back as Krolia was the more obvious Galra in the group. 

Krolia nearly ran the short distance between herself and Acxa, before Acxa cut the laser-like rope holding the handcuffs together with a short dagger, without a handle such that made it look like she had just smashed a window and picked up a random piece of broken glass and started using it for a weapon.

“Take this.” Acxa handed her the weapon carefully, before turning her gaze back to Pidge and checked the marks the fangs had made again. She wiped the new blood that had leaked out of the open skin and then placing her hand against her entire cheek, pressing roughly in an attempt to stop the bleeding and started counting up from one under her breath. 

After Krolia had cut everybody’s handcuffs off, Acxa hit the mark of 100 in her counting and lifted her hand up, then quickly pressed it against the same way after she saw dark red fluids still leaving the green paladin’s body. 

“You know about the venom?” she asked Krolia, her voice starting to falter. 

“Vrianum Nilia.” Krolia repeated what Ezor had said prior but with a slight accent closer to Altean than her normal voice, while giving attention to every vowel. 

“There's an antidote in the base somewhere. I'll take the green paladin over to your ships and care for her there. Split yourself up in a smaller group to look for the antidote. The rest of you need to clear the base of any remaining guards.” Acxa instructed, taking complete charge of the situation while most of the paladins had no idea what was happening. 

Krolia nodded, grabbing Keith's hand and in turn dragging Shiro down in the team to find the antidote. Lance, Hunk, Allura and Romelle formed the other team, heading out to take out the patrolling guards. 

Acxa picked Pidge up gently by her back, resting one arm under her knees once she was up. The other hand cradled Pidge’s head in her arms as Axca carried her bridal style out of the cell. 

She wouldn't let another die. 

Not when she had a say in the matter.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, what the quizack is going on!” Romelle exclaimed once Krolia handed Acxa a small glass tube with translucent aqua blue liquid sloshing around inside. 

Acxa had placed Pidge down on the floor of the green lion, leveling her head so that the bleeding would slow to a minimum.  
The group containing Lance, Hunk, Allura and Romelle had returned first, joined by Coran and the space mice. Keith, Krolia and Shiro had returned not long after, with Krolia quickly handing the tube to Acxa with still no explanation.

“Quiznack, Romelle. Quiznack.” Allura rubbed the bags under her eyes while correcting the blonde haired Altean. 

“It’s an antidote to the poison Ezor infected Pidge with-” Keith started to explain, but Acxa interrupted and started dipping her fingers one by one into the liquid inside the tube. 

“Ezor’s a hybrid Galra. Her other fifty percent comes from a race known as the Riliani, who’s main defense against attacks are fangs that release deadly poison when they’re scared or frightened. Ezor trained herself to release it on command.” 

“The last full Rilliani died about 1,000 years after the destruction of Ancient Altea,” Krolia added as Acxa started dabbing her fingers on each of Pidge’s cuts. 

“So… is Pidge going to be alright?” Hunk asked, eyes wide like a worried puppy dog asking for a walk. 

Acxa slumped her shoulders at her side as she finished up applying the last drops of antidote on the inside of the wounds. “Only time will tell.” 

“We should see if the Lions will respond… the second Pidge is awake we need to get out of here.” Keith motioned to the door from the cockpit of the green lion, leading everybody out. 

Hunk, Lance and Romelle filed out quickly, casting a saddened look at Pidge before leaving. Keith and Shiro were last, while Krolia didn’t show any sign of movement as she leaned up against some side controls. 

“Do you know of any other Riliani?” Acxa asked after it became clear Krolia wasn’t leaving her alone with Pidge. Acxa couldn’t blame her. She had been on the opposing side as Krolia and the team almost the entire war, whether it was Lotor’s side or Honevera’s. 

Krolia shook her head. “The Blade of Marmora houses an information hub, but the last time I checked the list Ezor was the last known Riliani. We believed Princess Allura and Coran were the only surviving Alteans until we met Romelle. We can’t say for certain Ezor was the last remaining.” 

Acxa gave a pitiful sigh in response, and the inside of the metal lion was left silent for a while until she carefully placed the empty glass tube on the floor, making a sharp clink sound as it hit.  
Acxa’s hand wandered absent mildly over Pidge’s chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall as her breath continued to slow. The poison made it so all bodily functions shut down one by one, causing massive amounts of pain if the victim happened to stay conscious after the initial bite. The antidote should have been working by now… her breathing should have been increasing quite rapidly instead of continuing to drop. Her pulse, however, was steady, so Axca wasn’t too worried about her condition. 

Until Pidge stopped breathing completely.

Acxa didn’t notice right away. She was too busy observing her pulse and thinking about when she should wake up. Only a few ticks later, Acxa was lost in her own thoughts when she noticed her hand on Pidge’s chest wasn’t moving at all. Panic set in as her pulse went limp as well. 

Her mind racked through how she could save Pidge. There was Galra equipment that attempted to send a spark of energy to reset the pulse, there was a machine that could supply air long enough until the people woke up. But nothing came to mind that she could do without being at a Galra base and having authority to take out such items. Until she remembered the most basic of battlefield training. 

Long ago, before she even became one of Lotor’s generals, Ezor had taught her an old way of reviving somebody who seemed dead. She called it CPR, something she had picked up from her Galran mother. The steps came back to Acxa’s hazy mind, although the original memory was clouded in mist. She tried her best however, and hadn’t realized she had zoned out so much that she hadn’t heard Krolia yelling her name. 

She didn’t answer Krolia’s panicked voice, and instead plugged Pidge’s small nose. Axca opened her mouth and placed it around Pidge’s own, breathing into the mouth cavity the best she could. 

Krolia’s calling had stopped.  
The air was silent. 

The room was still. 

Until Pidge’s chest started to rise. 

Acxa yelped in relief, releasing Pidge’s nostrils and pulling away from her mouth. 

Her eyelashes started to move and her eyes fluttered open. revealing two glowing hazel eyes looking up at her innocently.  
“W-what…” Pidge tried to speak, but her voice was too hoarse and dry for her to get anything else out but a single word. 

Acxa carefully brushed Pidge’s light brown bangs away from her forehead as she put the backside of her hand against the freckled skin. 

“Rest.” was all Acxa said before Pidge’s eyes drifted close once again. 

~~~~~~

“Green Lion is clear,” Pidge reported as Acxa gripped the back of the pilot's chair of the Green Lion.”Acxa is safely on board,” she added after a few ticks of silence from the other paladins. . 

“Lance?” Keith called over the comms. 

“Red Lion is clear with Romelle safely on board.” Lance responsed. 

“Allura?” Keith asked, shuffling in his own chair as Allura took a while to answer.

“My apologies. Coran was fussing with the cargo hold after your wolf tore it up,” she said with a gruff tone as a crashing noise from behind her could be heard over the communication line. “But yes, the Blue Lion is clear with Coran…” she debated her words for another tick, “...safely on board.The mice are secured as well.” 

“Hunk?”

“Yellow Lion is clear with Kaltnecker safely on board!” Hunk reported happily as a “moo” came in reply. 

“Black Lion is clear with Krolia, Kosmo and Shiro safely on board.” Keith was the last to confirm before the order to take off came as they left the hangar in Ezor and Zerthid’s base. 

Most of the paladins were comfortable with their passengers. Keith had his best friend, mother and pet with him, Allura had her advisor (although he still seemed to be causing a ruckus in the cargo hold) and the mice she had spent 10,000 years in cryosleep with. Hunk had the team’s friendly and lovable cow. Lance had Romelle, which they had come to agreement on do’s and don'ts of riding together (It was mostly “don’t touch this control” or “don’t touch this panel”). 

The Green Lion, however, held tension so thick it could be cut by Keith’s blade with ease. 

Lance had given her a basic explanation of what had happened once the antidote had removed the remaining poison and she woke up. The bite marks had already almost completely healed up, but the team all agreed that there would be a remaining scar on her cheek. 

The most shocking part of it all, however, was that a Galra hybrid who had almost always been on the opposite side of the paladins throughout the war had been the first to take action in curing Pidge.  
They sat in silence as Pidge looked over star trails, trying to locate the exact path that would be best in their road to Earth after the detour. The only sound was the soft hum of the Green Lion as it flew through space, and Acxa’s soft breathing. 

Acxa moved to kneel next to the pilot's chair and look at the star trail charts Pidge had up as holograms over the Lion’s controls. “The closest path would be past the Youion belt and over the Feelian system, wouldn’t it?” Acxa asked, pointing to an area on the hologram labeled “Feelian and Youion systems.” 

Pidge gave her a sideways glance before zooming in on the Feelian system. “Well, actually, the planet Civilan’s atmosphere is burning hot even as it extends outwards. Only the Red Lion would be able to pass through,” Pidge explained. 

“But you could pass by Civilan altogether and circle around Evilian. It would take longer than just passing through Civilan’s atmosphere, but it’s quicker than the other path you seemed to be mapping,” Acxa said, moving the hologram over to a planet covered entirely with cool water. 

“Actually…” Pidge looked up Evilian’s temperature on another screen. “...you’re correct.”  
Pidge opened a comm line to the other paladins. “Guys, we’re switching up the path. Axca pointed out that we could-”

“Wait, Acxa? Acxa is deciding our route? What if she’s just flying us into a trap?” Lance cut her off. 

“She’s not, Lance. She saved Pidge. If anything, we owe her one,” Keith responded to the blue paladin’s concern. 

“Plus, she knows a whole lot about the systems and star charts along this area. I’ll send you guys the updated map.” Pidge tapped yet another thing on the screens, delivering the new path to all of the Lions. 

“This path will get us to Earth faster than before!” Allura exclaimed over the comm line. 

“I know, right! Acxa was really smart in picking it up!” Pidge said, making Acxa’s face flush in surprise. The praise was… something she never really had back with Lotor and the generals. Although she didn’t need it, it still felt nice. 

Everything about this was nice.  
Pidge’s wide smile especially. 

Acxa tried to ignore the loud beating in her chest as the Lions moved on course.

~~~~~~

“Earth is on course. We should arrive in less then a varga,” Pidge announced, looking over her shoulder as if she was expecting somebody to be behind her. She was greeted with nothing but the cold air the inside in the Green Lion’s cockpit. 

After they had found Kolivan, Acxa had decided to go with Krolia and him to help rebuild and gather whatever remained of the Blades. 

Pidge refused to say she missed Acxa’s presence. Well, at least she refused to admit it aloud. She had already admitted it to herself in her mind the first day without Acxa by her side. 

It sounded so stupid when she played the words out inside her head. It was stupid to say, “I’m possibly in love with one of the Galra who’ve chased us all over the universe and tried to kill us on multiple occasions.” On top of that, she had no idea how the team would react to such a confession. Pidge wasn’t the only one she had tried to kill. Axca had been an enemy to the entire team. She put the paladins in danger, helped with the plan to kill Keith through the clone of Shiro, and she was acquainted with the man who had killed millions of Alteans, including Romelle’s brother. Having any sort of feelings for Axca was ridiculous. Crazy, even. 

Then again, Pidge had never let a crazy idea get in her way before. 

Sneaking into the Garrison and disguising herself as a boy? Crazy. PIloting a magical space lion? Crazy. Trying to defeat the ruler of more than half of the universe through a plan conducted by new found allies who almost killed your friend? Crazy. Honestly, the list could go on and on. This was just another weird addition to the ever-growing mental file. 

But Pidge wasn’t sure if this was even love. She’d never really had a serious crush before. How did she know this wasn’t just an after-effect of being exposed to the poison? And the antidote was still running in her veins. It could be a very basic side-effect. 

She snapped back to reality from the loud beeping of a video comm request popping up over the Green Lion’s controls. The request came from the Black Lion. 

Why was Keith calling her on a private video chat? She’d filled the entire team in on the most recent plans on their route to Earth and given them a detailed report on the geography of each planet they would pass by, even those where they didn’t even have to fly through their atmosphere. She’d reported on the planet's status to the paladins (Part of the coalition, peaceful, neutral, hostile, still under Galra control), and informed them if Galra cruisers were known to patrol the area surrounding them. What could she possibly have forgotten? Did they find a loophole in her reports? Or a better path like Acx-

She didn’t realize she was blushing from thinking of the Galran girl when she accepted the call from the black paladin. 

“Pidge, can I-” Keith didn’t waste any time once she accepted the call, but a loud bang followed by an even louder thud from the back area of the Lion cut his sentence off anyway. Pidge heard a muffled “fucking quiznak” from where the sound had occurred. “One tick,” Keith informed Pidge as he turned his head around and yelled back in the direction of the noise. “Shiro, If you manage to burn down a mini kitchen inside a Lion that doesn’t even have an oven or stove I’m going to be seriously impressed.” 

Keith turned back to face Pidge, crossing his arms around the red V on his armor, blowing up at the ebony bang covering his right eye.

And all was at peace for a grand total of three ticks until Shiro yelled back. “I can impress you by burning down a kitchen? Can I also impress you by killing a ton of random aliens in an arena, cause I already have that done-” 

Keith threw his arms up in the air and ended the video call in the process. 

Odd. 

Whatever Keith was going to ask her didn’t seem that important, as he didn’t call her back even when the Lions started to land on a allied planet, where Matt was supposed to meet the group. 

~~~~~~

“Hey, Pidge?” She heard a voice behind her. Pidge stopped her preparations for takeoff as she heard her brother’s voice bouncing off the metal walls of the Green Lion’s cockpit. 

“Yeah?” she said, powering off the holographic screens in favor of turning around in the pilot's seat to see Matt. They’d spent the night on the planet together. Matt was traveling with the group up until they reached a close rebel base where he was scheduled to meet with some coalition allies.

“Remember when Keith’s mother was telling me about Lotor’s ex-general that saved you?” Matt stopped, mere feet away from the pilot's chair. 

“Krolia,” Pidge responded. “Krolia is Keith’s mom.” She purposely avoided even touching the topic of Acxa. Matt was always able to read her like an open book, and he would claim she had a crush on the Galran. At this point, she decided for a fact the flutter in her chest was just an after-effect of the poison, antidote, or both. 

“Right, Krolia.” Matt seemed to be trying to document the name into the deep excess of his mind. He’d always been scatterbrained, most especially with names. Despite being the most genius person from their hometown, save for her dad and possibly herself, he couldn't remember upcoming events and names to save his life. “And Lotor’s ex general?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, she’s nothing. Just a Galra that helped the team out.” Pidge turned herself around again, turning on a basic stargraph of the areas the Lions would travel through next to jot the path down tp memory. 

The greatest processor was her brain, after all. 

Matt smiled. Actually smiled, not a cocky smirk, not a fake smile as he pulled his sister into a surprisingly tight hug. “My little sister has a crush!” he exclaimed happily, while Pidge yelped. Once for the sudden hug, and again when the word crush escaped his lips. 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Pidge tried to push him off, but he had an iron grip. Damn, space had really strengthened him. Pidge could easily overpower him in hugs before Kerberos. “I don’t have a crush. That’s crazy talk.” 

“Uh huh. Whatever you say.” Matt said in a sarcastic voice, obviously not believing a word coming out of her mouth. 

As the stars passed by after takeoff, Pidge realized why Keith had called. The same reason why Matt had nearly squeezed her ribs in half by just the hug alone. And by now, the whole team probably assumed she had a crush. At this point, she was starting to wonder again if that statement was actually true. She groaned, and would have slammed her forehead on the control panel if Matt wasn’t in the cockpit to yell at her for such an act. 

~~~~~~

“It’s been an honor flying with you all.” Keith’s calm tone rang in Pidge’s ears. 

The Lions broke out of Earth’s strangely familiar atmosphere. And while they did, Pidge wondered who everybody was thinking of in this moment. Who everybody imagined within the safety of their mind as they faced certain death. 

Lance? Probably thinking of his parents, his sisters, brothers, niece and nephew. Allura? Coran,her father and mother. The Altea she once knew. Maybe even Romelle. Hunk? His family, who were still in prison camps on Earth. Keith? His mother and Shiro. Pidge knew Shiro was thinking of Keith at this moment, as well. 

And Pidge? Matt, her mother, father, Bae Bae…But one name echoed through her mind above all else, the gentle smile and soft voice she used when Pidge had awaken on the floor of the Green Lion. 

Why?

Why was Pidge thinking of Acxa?

Pidge would’ve had more time to ponder the question if there wasn't a bright flash before darkness overcame her. 

~~~~~~~

The Blades arrived on Earth the same day Pidge was released from the hospital. 

Right before her release, Acxa had rushed over to her room. The Galran girl didn't understand why Pidge was being forced to stay in a single unfamiliar room for an extended period of time, but she chose not to question it. The two had been the top contestants for the most stuttering when trying to ask simple questions, without even realizing they'd entered in the first place. 

They were definitely tied with Keith and Shiro for first place, at the very least. 

Acxa left for a mission back into space only a quintant later, saying they needed to free Galra-controlled planets and they needed the help of the rebels for such work. 

Since then, others were off doing their own things. Shiro was busy taking Keith around the Atlas, Lance and Hunk were spending some well-deserved time with their families, and Allura was working with Pidge’s father on better integrating Altean technology into Earth’s already-built machines and ships. 

Pidge was working in the Green Lion’s new hangar aboard the Atlas when the sliding door opened with a gentle swish, somehow even quieter than the castle’s doors. 

“Miss Katie Holt?” The Garrison cadet addressed her with her new formal title, although Pidge wrinkled her nose at the use of her real name by somebody who wasn't her parents or Matt. 

She saved the code on her laptop before closing the lid, turning to look at the cadet. The cadet had long, dark violet hair pulled into a high ponytail, and her orange uniform was baggy around her slim figure. The cadet pushed her glasses up further up on the bridge of her nose when Pidge approached with her laptop tucked under her shoulder. Pidge hazily remembered her as one of the MFE Pilots. 

“Captain Shirogane would like to see you.” The pilot said, after realizing Pidge wasn’t going to ask what her business was.  
That made Pidge raise an eyebrow. “I thought he was with Keith?” She questioned, knowing for certain Shiro spent as much time with Keith after the lions crashed down on Earth. 

“Mister Kogane is back to resting at the medical wing,” the cadet responded. All the formal terms nearly drove Pidge crazy. 

Pidge sighed. Shiro probably just wanted to scold her for getting back to work instead of resting like the doctors told her to. 

“Thank you, Pilot…” Pidge trailed off, trying to remember the cadet’s name. 

“Rizavi.” She responded, brushing her bangs out of her face before turning to leave. 

Pidge sighed once again before turning down the hallway to the captain’s quarters. 

~~~~~~~

She was expecting to open the door and find Shiro’s head on the desk, deep in paperwork that was due two weeks ago. What she really saw was her father standing next to Shiro, who was sitting upright and typing on a datapad. There were large bags under Commander Holt’s eyes, and he looked about ready to faint. Shiro had a similar expression, although his face was hidden by the datapad that she could barely see his face. 

“What’s…” she questioned as she entered the room and finished taking in her surroundings. 

“Sit down, Katie.” Her father’s voice was rough. He both sounded and looked worse than when they’d rescued him from Zarkon’s hold. 

She slowly eased down into the cushioned chair in front of Shiro’s desk, and even she wasn’t able to identify the emotion she was feeling. It was an insane mix of confusion, worry and fear. Sprinkled with a side of anxiety and damn, there were beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. She’d need to tell the Atlas staff to up the air conditioning-

“Matt passed this evening, Katie.” Her father spit out the news in record speed. 

Bile rose in Pidge’s throat as the world grew hazy, then darkness clouded her vision until there was nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

She woke up with an ache in her head and pain in the inner part of her elbow. 

She felt something soft under her head as well. Something that couldn't possibly be the carpeted floor of Shiro's office onboard the Atlas. 

As she slowly fluttered her eyes open, it became clear that she was no longer in Shiro's office or on the Atlas for that matter. Instead, she was laying on a medical bed in the Garrison's West Wing infirmary. 

She'd been in the more intense care ward just a few days ago, but she'd never been in the general infirmary. Not even when she was enrolled before Voltron, since she was staged as a male back then.

The room was a pure, boring white color all around. Other medical beds sat in Pidge's direct point of view. Upon closer inspection, she found that an IV needle was secured into her elbow where the original pain had been, and the needle connected back to a saline bag on a stand. There were a few medical stickers attached to her chest, hooked up to a machine recording her heart rate. 

“You're awake.” A familiar voice startled Pidge out of her observation session. 

Pidge looked over at the other side of the bed, rolling over for a better view. In the process, the various cords and devices attached to her skin tangled up on themselves, but Pidge couldn't bring herself to care. 

Because a Galran girl in a tight blade suit was sitting in a wooden, cushioned chair that Pidge knew were uncomfortable as hell, a wide smile on her violet lips. 

“Yeah.” Pidge felt her throat sting from use. How long had she been out?

“You feeling any better?” Acxa asked, her tone a soothing mix of worry and care. 

Care. God, wasn't that what Pidge wanted?

The girl Pidge daydreamt about and thought about as death took her to care for her the same way Pidge desperately cared for her. She knew it was meaningless at best, but it felt so real. It felt so...good. So, so good to actually feel that way about somebody. 

Somewhere, in that moment, Pidge wondered if Acxa felt the same way. If Acxa had a giant case of puppy love. 

Yeah, that's what it was. 

She was done denying that there was nothing there. But it was only puppy love. Totally. It would go away after time and Pidge would be able to move on with her life. And since she'd been deemed completely healthy despite a minor head injury, and Keith only looked confused when Pidge asked if the poison or antidote had any side-effects, she concluded it had to be small, tiny crush on Acxa. Just puppy love, it would pass before she knew it. 

“Hey, Pidge? You alright?” She was quickly pulled out of her trance by Axca’s beautiful voice alone. 

God, this was some case of puppy love. 

“Y-yeah. I'm fine.” She was quick to respond, hoping to dismiss any worry from the Galran. The sooner Pidge could get out of this hospital, the sooner she could get back to work. Matt couldn't see her in this state again so soon-

Oh, right. Matt.

“Hey, hey, it's okay.” Acxa was quick to comfort, and Pidge didn't even realize there were tears falling from her eyes until Acxa tried to wipe them away with a clawed finger, making Pidge flinch away at the prick of the sharp nail on her bare skin. 

“O-oh,I'm sorry.” Acxa moved her hand away quickly. “I'll...I'll trim them.” She looked down at her hand, as if she was scolding the nails with a harsh look in her cat-like pupils. 

“It's f-fine,” Pidge stuttered over her words as she grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and wiped her eyes. 

“I’d… like to offer you something.” Acxa said shyly, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand and keeping the other on Pidge’s hospital bed, right next to one of Pidge’s own freckled palms. 

Pidge looked at her, caramel eyebrows raised in cursiousity. 

“I’m going back into space with Keith and Krolia...my brother and my mother.” Acxa tried to get the words past her lips as fast as possible. 

Pidge spit out the water she was drinking from a clear plastic cup. 

~~~~~~

 

“You’re telling me Keith is your brother?” Pidge asked for the fourth time over. 

Acxa slowly nodded, swallowing as she did. 

“How? I mean, aren’t you one-hundred percent Galra?” Pidge inquired, sitting up straighter as a nurse started to remove the stickers attaching the cords on her chest.

“I’m fifty percent Galra,” Acxa informed softly, quiet enough that Pidge had trouble hearing her. “Fifty percent Uinia.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. 

“Uinia? Isn’t that the race that went exist a few hundred years ago?” Pidge asked as she took another sip of water.

“My dad was one of the final remaining. It’s only been one-hundred years since the last purebred Uinia lived.” Acxa spoke cooly, like it wasn’t big news that her mother was Keith’s mom and Keith was her sibling. Well, half-sibling., Pidge supposed since Keith’s father wasn’t hers.

“I'm leaving in a week to help my mother and Keith rebuild the Galra Empire. Krolia is now the empress, Kolivan is the emperor, and I’m a princess.” Acxa dropped the bomb slowly, softly, lips curving into a lopsided smile. 

Pidge spit out another drink of water. 

~~~~~~

Matt’s funeral occured the morning before Acxa was set to depart. 

Pidge’s short black dress didn’t help ease the pain as they stood outside, tears dripping down her face as her mother sobbed into a tissue and her father cried softly along with her. 

Acxa had attended. Pidge had asked her to. Her dress was nearly identical to Pidge’s own, skirt ending just above the knees as the fabric blew in the violent winds of the afternoon as they lowered a casket into the ground near his tombstone. 

Pidge turned around and sobbed into Acxa’s chest. 

The Galra ran freshly trimmed nails through caramel locks and held Pidge close. “It’s going to be okay,” she spoke calmly, although she sounded on the brink of tears as well.  
“It’s going to be hard. But you’ll heal,” Axca whispered as Pidge’s sobs grew louder. 

Right now, Pidge wasn’t sure things could ever be better. But she knew for certain nothing would be the same after they leave the cemetery. Her world changed forever after that, the world she’d always had. The world where Matt was always in reach, the world where she could find him again. The world where he could hug her close and tell her he’s okay was gone.

~~~~~~~  
\--------------------

 

The Holts held a private dinner after the funeral. 

Few were invited. It was only Pidge, Shiro, Nyma and N-7 originally. She hadn’t left her room on the rebel base until this morning for the funeral, according to Nyma. She may be a robot, but Nyma said that Matt’s passing affected her greatly. She loved him just as a human would’ve, and she felt the pain of losing him. 

Shiro had asked to bring Keith, and Sam and Colleen had gladly accepted. When Pidge asked about Acxa, her parents were skeptical before Sam reminded his wife the Galran girl had saved Pidge’s life. They both happily invited her then, allowing Krolia and Kolivan to join them as well since they were coming back to Earth for the funeral. 

Colleen’s dinner was simple. Everybody at the large square table got a plate of already buttered spaghetti, cooked from her secret family recipe of Pidge’s great great grandmother. In the center of the table arrangement sat a untouched vat of homemade meatballs soaked in sauce, with two little bowls of sauce sitting on either side of the vat. One contained an overflowing amount of marinara and one held alfredo sauce, excess dripping down the side. Two baskets of freshly baked bread sat on either end of the table, melted butter soaked up by the wheat nooks and garnished with garlic. 

Sam sat next to Pidge on one side, Colleen opposite. Acxa sat on the other side of Pidge, and Nyma and N-7 took up the remaining spots. On the opposite side, Shiro sat next to Colleen, Keith taking his spot next to Shiro, and Krolia and Kolivan filled in the remaining seats. Each young girl wore a black dress with short sleeves, the skirts only leading an inch or two above or below the knees. Colleen and Krolia, meanwhile, wore longer dresses. They had sheer sleeves covering their arms and the skirts reached down to their ankles. All of the men wore the same black and white suit. Kolivan often tugged at the tie in annoyance. 

The wrinkles on Colleen’s face shone through her full face of makeup as she led a prayer in sorrow. The aliens at the table simply folded their hands while the humans recited quietly after her.  
“Please, enjoy this meal tonight. Matthew would’ve wanted us to.” Colleen finished with tears in her eyes as N-7 froze in place. Nyma’s gemstone-like eyes dulled to a gray as she frowned.  
Acxa squeezed Pidge’s hand under the table.

Nobody moved for a while. The dining room was silent, the lights dimmed low. 

Colleen gulped before she took a piece of bread from the basket closest to her. “Shirogane?” She held the tiny piece of garlic bread out of Shiro. 

He nodded as a quiet “thank you” fell from his lips as he took the bread and placed it on Keith’s plate., Shiro whispered something in his ear and placed a gentle kiss on Keith’s scarred cheek.

Acxa closed her eyes, then quickly took two pieces of garlic bread, placing them on Pidge’s plate before looking away innocently. 

Pidge stared in shock. 

Colleen gave a gentle laugh. The first laugh of the entire day, Pidge thought as the corners of her mother’s mouth slowly turned up. 

“Katie, you can tell your girlfriend it’s okay to take food from the table. That’s what it’s for,” Colleen said with a gentle smile. She took a spoon to retrieve a meatball for herself. 

Pidge’s face flushed a deep red. 

Acxa’s eyes looked about ready to pop out. “G-girlfriend? Oh, no, no, no, Mrs. Holt. It’s nothing like that.” Acxa quickly jumped in to deny the statement, while Pidge’s face just continued to grow even redder than it was before. 

Colleen raised an eyebrow. “Really? I see…” She placed a finger on her lips, nail painted with an opaque black. “I’d say get on it then.” She drowned her pasta in marinara, looking completely serious as Pidge looked about ready to explode. 

“I-I need to go!” Pidge exclaimed quickly, huffing as she let go of Acxa’s hand and stormed off. 

“Pidge, wait!” Acxa called after her, pushing her own chair back and running in the direction Pidge had ran towards. 

Everybody at the table gave each other a knowing look. 

~~~~~~

Acxa found Pidge upstairs in a carpeted bedroom with a Galaxy Garrison poster on the door. 

The room was dark. A bed sat in the middle of the room while a desk displayed figures and a few research papers showing trajections and doodles of math problems on the side of lined paper. More shelves hung around the white walls, showing more and more figurines of various things. 

One vaguely resembled Voltron, others action figures in battle pose. More Garrison posters were haphazardly taped to the wall, as well as pictures of space and constellations. It was Pidge’s childhood room, and she was ashamed to admit that she still liked it.  
Nothing had changed since she left for space. Her room was still a mess, clothes that were much too tight on her were littered all over the floor. 

Pidge sat on the end of her bed, sheets printed with stars soft under her feet. She curled up in a ball, holding her knees to her chest. She felt her heart pound in her heart as she sat in darkness. No lights, the window dark thanks to the sun’s premature setting earlier in the day. Arizona winter wasn’t as cold as other places, but the sun disappeared sooner than anyone would’ve liked. 

“Hey..” Acxa leaned up against the green door frame. 

“Go away.” Pidge’s reply was muffled by the way she was curled up, head buried in between her chest and knees. 

Acxa sighed heavy, like she was arguing a child. “Can I please come in?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“No.” Pidge felt tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. 

Instead of leaving, Acxa just leaned against the door frame, silent as Pidge tried to hold back tears. Acxa was watching her. She already cried once in front of her once today. She didn’t want to seem like a crybaby, especially around… her. Whatever she was to Pidge at this point. Crush, friend, ally. Axca was all of those things, if Pidge was being honest with herself. 

“I know it hurts,” Acxa said after a while. “A long, long time ago I lost the one I loved.” Acxa’s tone turned sorrowful as the corners of her mouth curled down. 

That caused Pidge to snap her head up. 

She knew Acxa could see the tear streaks drying on her face. She knew Acxa saw the way her eyes were red and swollen from the excessive amount of tears she’d been shedding. Pidge knew she looked like a mess, that her dress was wrinkled, palms sweating and fingers shaking, tears making the collar of her dress stick to the pale skin of her neck. 

“You lost someone?” Pidge asked quickly, jumping straight to the point and not dilly-dallying with any amount of small talk. 

Acxa nodded , taking a gulp of air to prevent herself from crying at the memory. “My girlfriend.” Her black heels clicked against the hardwood as she started walking towards Pidge’s bed. Axca steadied herself on her hands before she sat down next to Pidge and placed a reassuring hand on Pidge’s shoulder. ””She was one of Lotor’s generals as well. Narti was her name, the one with the cat, Kova.” 

Pidge racked the back of her mind, and a vague picture of a hooded figure appeared in her brain.  
That one was Narti, she was certain. 

“She was kind, understanding, despite everything.” Acxa cautioned when Pidge didn’t show any signs of wanting to respond. “Narti knew what I needed. She knew when I needed a break and stood up for me against Lotor. Kova was a sweetheart, as well. He would snuggle against the two of us when we fell asleep together.” Acxa’s cat-like irises suddenly dulled, like she was remembering the worst part of her life. 

“...Then I watched Lotor kill her.” Acxa couldn’t hold back a tear that started to fall, running down her violet cheek and sliding off her pointed chin. 

Pidge’s hazel eyes widened. 

“I loved her more than life itself. I loved her more than the stars, more than my own parents. Narti was my shining light in the darkest of moments. Then Lotor murdered her in cold blood right in front of me. I had to watch my girlfriend bleed out s on the concrete and try not to slow any emotion. We were around Haggar at the time. If I showed any weakness or feeling, I knew for a fact that the witch would exploit my love. In the end, I ended up constantly switching sides because of indecisiveness. “ Acxa put her hand around the black fabric protecting her heart, scrunching it up in her fist as she grew angry. 

“I missed her for so long. I moped around for a year after Voltron went missing, before I realized that would do me no good. Then I started fighting against Ezor and Zerthird. We used to be friends, used to be on the same team, so I knew their weaknesses. I knew their tactics, I knew the way they fought. But they knew me, too. So I changed in those two years. I learned to double-wield a blade and how to sneak around, a trait previously exclusive by Ezor and Narti on our team. Ezor and Zerthird had both the brains and the brawn, but I had nothing but love fueling me. I wanted to get revenge on them. They’d told me to just get over Narti’s death, telling me she was expendable. That my happiness was expendable.” Acxa took a deep breath as she stopped her tangent. Pidge listened intently to every word. 

“I'm sorry. I was rambling on. But my point is, I healed. Not through revenge, but through love. I loved Narti. I still love Narti. But I’m ready to move on. I’m ready, after four years, to move on. And…” she looked to Pidge with a blush on her face. “...I want to move on with you, if you want to.”

Pidge gave a warm smile then, her first smile that day. 

“I’m leaving tomorrow with my family. I’d been honored if you’d join me,” Acxa said, voice cracking as the gentle pink blush expanded to the bridge of her nose and down her cheeks. 

Pidge grabbed her shaking hand, ignoring her own face as it grew hot and flushed a deep cherry red. 

“I’d love to.”

~~~~~~~

“Are we ready?” Keith asked from the pilot’s seat of the Black Lion. Shiro was sitting on the metal floor next to him. 

“All controls look good.” Shiro responded. 

Shiro joining their group was a last minute decision- or, Keith confessed a few minutes before they were set to leave, and Shiro wanted to go with him. 

“Kolivan and I are ready, Keith.” Krolia answered from the bench she and the former Blade leader were sitting on in the back of the Black Lion. 

“Ready.” Acxa said, squeezing Pidge’s hand from their spot on the bench across from Krolia and Kolivan. 

“All clear.” Pidge added. She tugged at the collar of the oversized green sweatshirt she’d dung out of her parent’s closet before they departed. 

The Black Lion started to shake underneath them, preparing for take-off.

“Let’s go make the Empire the best it’s been in ten-thousand years,” Keith announced as a wormhole opened in the night sky. 

~~~~~~~

To be officially recognized as the princess of the Galra Empire, Acxa, as well as the others, all had to attend a ball hosted by all the members of the Coalition to Galra standards. 

It had been a decaphoeb since the reforming started. Keith, Krolia and Kolivan went to help recruit members for the Blade. Pidge was helping transform Blade bases so they could house those who lost their homes in the war as well as the members. Acxa kept up with recruits and trained them to fight as well as to care for those who’d lost something, anything, in the aftermath of the war. Whether it be supplies, a loved one, or even an entire family. 

Being so busy and having separate jobs, however, hindered her and Pidge’s relationship. They barely got to see each other, and when they did, they were so hungry for each other’s touch they couldn’t do anything but fall asleep to the gentle rhythm of the other’s heartbeat. 

So, in short, they weren’t officially dating yet. 

And they hadn’t kissed each other yet. 

Acxa stood behind the brown doors that lead to the ballroom. She knew Pidge was already dancing about, or, most likely, downing cupful and cupful of whatever shitty alien punch they had out. Axca took a deep breath before she opened the door, watching it creak open slowly as she stepped in.

Acxa made her way down the polished gold ballroom floor leaving a slight uncertainty with every step she took. The pure white walls of the ballroom were glittering and shining as light bounced off the delicate marble. Her violet jeweled heels clicking on the floor, Axca tried not to notice all the eyes looking directly at her. She didn't feel beautiful, or even remotely pretty with her hair that only made it down her neck. It was tied in a small bundle that would be a disgrace to even call a bun as stray pieces of bluish-violet hair tickled the back of her neck, brushing against the light purple skin there. 

The soft, velvet-like texture of the flowing skirt of the ball gown felt like pure cotton on her skin as she started to pick up the pace in her walk. Her mind was set on finding Pidge before anything else. The iridescent baby blue flower tucked into her bangs bloomed like a freshly grown lily, and the soft makeup, natural colors and very light pink lipstick Romelle had insisted she wore was a nice contrast to the usual dark tones. She felt the tulle on the outside of the skirt started to separate itself from the velvet, the tulle blowing up in soft waves making her look like an island princess with her toes stuck in the sand as a gust of wind overtook her. 

She felt her off-the-shoulder straps start to fall further down than they should as she spotted Pidge by the punch bowl. The cool air of the ballroom started to sting on her bare chest, but she was too excited to see Pidge to care. However, Axca was’nt prepared for what she saw as Pidge turned around to face her. 

Pidge was stunning. Her face was colored with a large, bright red blush springing across the bridge of her nose and bleeding onto her cheeks. It nearly covered the puncture wound scars. Her glasses were nowhere to be seen, which Acxa thought was understandable. Pidge wore almost the exact shade of lipstick Acxa had, and her eyes were drawn to the beauty of Pidge’s dress. 

The satin, forest green skirt ended just as it would have hit the floor, with little embroidered flowers scattered onto the fabric. Her dress was off the shoulder as well. Pidge was wearing a sweetheart neckline, decorated with light green jewels mined from the planet of Rinaro. The embroidered flowers expanded up onto the fabric covering Pidge’s chest. Every inch of said fabric had a least one embroidered detail on it, including the sleeves. 

The thing that stood out to Acxa the most, through, was the same iridescent flower tucked within Pidge’s bangs. The flower bloomed so much it was displaying its delicate center stems, filled with the sweet honey- or, antidote, really. Hazel eyes looked up at Axa with a longing glance. Pidge held a black glass full of a red colored punch in both of her hands. 

“My lady, Katie Holt.” Acxa curtsied, grabbing onto the tulle of her skirt. She felt a warm sensation rush through her veins as she dipped. 

Pidge’s blush deepened as she carefully put the punch back on the serving table. She didn't take her eyes off Acxa for a second. 

Acxa looked back up at her, irises shining with wonder and worry as she held out a bare hand to Pidge. 

“Will you dance with me?” 

Pidge flushed an even deeper red before she nodded and took Acxa’s hand in her own. 

~~~~~~

By the end of the night, both Acxa and Pidge’s bodies were hot up against one another, sweat slicking messy hair to overheated skin. They both collapsed onto Acxa’s bed in the luxury hotel they’d had the ball in, having been offered rooms for after as well. 

Pidge fell asleep on Acxa’s chest, and Acxa could feel the other’s heartbeat start to return to normal after the night of dancing. 

A lot of things happened that night. 

Acxa officially became a princess of the Galra Empire. Her mother got engaged to the former leader of the Blade. Shiro knocked over the punchbowl trying to impress her brother. But most importantly, she got to see Pidge smile wider than ever before. 

And that was worth more than anything else in the universe. 

~~~~~~~

A few movements later, Pidge snuck out of a dinner back on Earth for a reunion of the paladins.

Acxa had been invited, to her surprise. SInce Allura was hosting, she would’ve thought that the Altean princess would want nothing to do with her. 

Instead, Axca was welcomed with open arms. Allura kissed her on the cheek, as per Altean traditions relating to professional reunions. Lance and Hunk welcomed Axca, as well, the latter nearly squeezing her to death in a 'bear-hug,' as the humans called it."

It was nice to have them care about her, Axca supposed. 

The reason Pidge snuck out was fair, however..

The yellow paladin, Hunk, had asked if they were dating in the middle of dinner, making everyone freeze. 

Acxa noticed Keith and Shiro tense up as Pidge pushed her chair out and left. 

 

So she followed. 

“You alright?” Acxa asked when she found Pidge sitting on a bench outside, swaying Pidge back and forth on a wooden structure the others called a porch. 

Pidge shrugged. “I know what the others think. They think we’re girlfriends,” Pidge replied, stubbornly looking away to avoid making eye contact with Acxa.  
“Are we?” Acxa asked it as a genuine question. Despite everything, she had no idea what, or who she was to PIdge. If Pidge laid awake at night thinking about what it would be like to kiss, what it would be like to be able to hold hands and not blush wildy. 

“I-” Pidge stuttered. 

Okay, probably not a question she was ready to answer. That was fair. 

“I don’t know what we are.” Pidge replied quickly, soon finding the right words. “I mean, I know what I want you to be, but I don’t know if you feel the same. I don’t know if it’s different for you.”  
She still hid her face, and Acxa wanted nothing more than to see those hazel eyes, even if they were filled with sorrow. 

“I want you to be my girlfriend,” Acxa replied on impulse as she sat down next to Pidge, making the bench sway even more. 

“I… I want that too,” Pidge admitted, finally turning to face Acxa. Her eyes were shining with wonder now, and Acxa saw the tell-tale signs of a starting blush on her freckled cheeks. 

“Do you...” a soft pink blush was barely noticeable against Acxa’s cheeks. “...Do you want to kiss?”

Pidge’s eyes widened greatly as bright red settled upon her freckled cheeks and onto the bridge of her nose. Her round glasses started to slip down on her nose as well, causing the glow of the moonlight to shine onto the lenses. 

“I mean, only if you want to. We don't have to do anything. I'm totally up for taking things slow or not doing things at all. I just wanted to give you the opportunity-” Acxa rambled on to ease the silence, she suddenly felt something warm on her lips. It was amazingly soft and tender and loving. So, so incredibly loving. 

Pidge pressed her lips into Acxa’s own, as the baggy light purple fabric of Axca’s t-shirt swayed in the wind. A cool gust of wind caressed her skin through the ripped holes of her jean shorts. 

Pidge started to pull away from the kiss, but Acxa grabbed the collar of her t-shirt dress and raised the green paladin to her lips again.

They sat like this for a while, the wind blowing their hair into each other’s faces with the gentle rock of the porch chair swinging. The two pots of iridescent blue flowers on either ends of the swings made the evening perfect. 

When the two finally pulled away, Acxa looked into the Pidge's shining irises that looked like warm caramel dripping from a fondue fountain. Axca then dared to ask a question she never thought she would ask Pidge in her life.

“Can we do that again?”

Pidge pulled her close and they connected lips once more.

**Author's Note:**

> [My artist's work!](https://twitter.com/Movite_H/status/1097595539854712834)
> 
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> 
> [Tumblr](https://galrafloofandlove.tumblr.com)! || [Twitter](https://twitter.com/GalraFloof)


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